Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H 890GX Review

Introduction:

The release of the AMD 890GX/SB850 based motherboards is one that many AMD users have anxiously been waiting some time for. There are good reasons beyond just being an AMD Fan-boy. The new 890GX/SB850 will be the replacement for the 790GX chipset and come with advancements such as support SATA 3.0 and have an integrated HD 4290 graphics processor, which is AMD's fastest to date. This new chipset will also include USB 3.0, which is not supported by the chipset, but instead is utilized by an on-board NEC chip. With all these new technologies entering the AMD market, it is easy to see why this board has been one to watch, but when you add support for AMD's upcoming Six Core processors, the reasoning behind this anticipation becomes more clear. Along with all the features already listed, you will also get tried and true technologies such as CrossFireX, DDR 3 memory and support for all current AM3 based processors. With so much technology in one package, this board will be an extremely versatile product, making it a good fit across a very large portion of computer users worldwide. The 890GX motherboard we are going to be looking at today is the Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H. For those familiar with Gigabyte, certain features have become ubiquitous like their Ultra Durable 3 design that has 2-oz copper PCB, heatpipe cooling, dual BIOS, and the blue with white color scheme will also be very familiar. These features, that are unique to Gigabyte, have always made for high quality products. When you combine these with the new integrated technologies and support for upcoming processors, it makes for one exciting release!

Closer Look:

As with most Gigabyte products, the packaging for the 890GPA-UD3H comes with a wealth of information about the motherboard. Most of the packaging is white with colorful wording and contains pictures that arebeing used to inform the consumer of the included technologies. On the front, the largest of images showcasing the features describes the use of 'three' throughout the board. This is referring to on-board acceleration, features that will increase the USB 3.0 power by threefold, and also to SATA 3.0. Below this image Gigabyte lists the socket type, supported processors, memory support as well as other features of the board. The back side of the packaging lists many of the same features as the front, but goes more into detail of how these features and technologies are implemented and how using them is beneficial to you.

Opening the box, you find the accessories sitting on top of a white cardboard insert. The accessories consist of a rear I/O shield, two SATA cables, one IDE cable, a manual, an installation guide, a drivers disk, and a small Dolby Digital sticker. Once the accessories and insert are out, you have access to the motherboard, which comes wrapped in an anti-static bag and is laying on a layer protective foam padding.

With the board out of the box, we can start to get a closer look at what the new AMD 890GX/SB750 chipset is really about.